Pre-Hilalian dialects also calledEarly Maghrebi Arabic are acontinuum ofArabic dialects native toNorth Africa. They constitute, along with theHilalian dialects, the largerMaghrebi Arabic family.

Pre-Hilalian dialects are a result of earlyArabization phases that lasted from the 7th to the 15th centuries, and that concerned the main urban settlements (Kairouan,Constantine,Tlemcen andFez) and the neighboring harbors (respectivelyMahdia andSousse,Jijel andCollo,Rachgun andHonaine, andPeñón de Vélez de la Gomera andTangier) particularly fromAl Andalus influences, as well as the triangular areas between them.^[1]

This early Arabization also concerned variousJewish communities and a few urban centers outside the main Arabized areas, such asTunis andSalé.^[1]

Pre-Hilalian Arabic dialects are classified in three types:^[1]

• Pre-Hilalian Urban Arabic dialects: those of the major historical urban settlements such asKairouan,Tunis,Constantine,Béjaïa,Algiers,Tlemcen,Taza,Fez,Rabat,Tétouan,Chefchaouen andTangier;
• "Village" and Mountain dialects: those of the areas between the four original urban settlements (Kairouan, Constantine, Tlemcen and Fez) and their respective harbors:
  • Sahili in theSahel, Tunisia;
  • Old Sfaxian fromSfax, Tunisia
  • Jijel Arabic inPetite Kabylie,Constantinois (easternAlgeria);
  • Trara Arabic in theTrara Mountains,Oranais (westernAlgeria);
  • Jebli Arabic in the southern and western part of theRif, northernMorocco;
• All theJudeo-Arabic languages of theMaghreb.

Two geographical groups of pre-Hilalian dialects are distinguished:^[2]

• Eastern dialects, those spoken inTripolitania, Tunisia and theConstantinois, forming the ancient "Ifriqiya" province;
• Western dialects, those spoken in theAlgérois,Oranais andMorocco.

Additionally, theMaltese language is often classified as pre-Hilalian, since it shares many pre-Hilalian features.^[3]

Pre-Hilalian Urban dialects were formerly spoken in other cities such asTripoli,Mascara andAzemmour, where they are extinct, replaced by the more widespread Hilalian dialects. Currently, many (Old) Urban dialects are endangered because of the prevalence of the Hilalian-based new urbankoinés in everyday communication.

• Varieties of Arabic
• Hilalian dialects
• Maghrebi Arabic

• Maghrebi Arabic

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